U.S.S.A Umbra

Chapter 1 The Umbra

Humanity has faced many threats throughout its existence; it was once thought the black infinite of space would be the final hurdle they would face. Unfortunately for mankind, there are far worse places and fates than dying in the vast emptiness of space. The USSA Umbra, for example, is a place no being would wish to perish.

"I never liked touring in space; I've always preferred serving planet side where I can breathe real air and not this stale recycled shit they pass off as "fresh air." "The only thing that has made being on this ancient rust bucket bearable is serving on the same ship with my girlfriend Alice and maybe after we're done serving, my fiancé. "While Damien was patrolling the many hallways of deck 13, he came across another security guard who was also on patrol. Damien could tell who it was by his shorter and somewhat obese stature. It was Tobey. Tobey was one of those individuals, that even Damien, who is rather indifferent to most people's personalities, found to be a bit irritating. "Oh, it's just you Damien. I was just wondering who this big shadow was walking my way. Are you having a good morning, big guy?"  Damien stood there unmoving and said, "About as good of a day as you can have to patrol through these dark as hell hallways."- "I know what you mean. Man, this ship is generations old, I get that, but at least fix the lights or set up some new ones you know?" Damien nodded in agreement and walked past Tobey with only the sound of his heavy footsteps echoing throughout the hallway. Tobey, knowing that Damien wasn't really the one for small talk, shrugged his shoulders and said to himself. "I can barely have a conversation for more than one minute with this guy. He's always walking off on me. He's probably gonna go see that cute blond. Oh well."

Damien continued walking through the faded grey and barely lit hallways of deck 13. Suddenly, he noticed a shadowy figure dart across the hall to his left. Damien wondered what or who that dark figure was that seemed to have floated across the floor. He lifted his rifle slightly and walked slowly forward keeping his eyes trained on the corner to his left. When he turned the corner the apparition seemed to have faded out of existence leaving only a few small drops of black liquid. Damien crouched down to inspect the thick black substance. He touched the liquid, noting its consistency was almost that of blood, but slightly thicker. "Hmmm...this looks like ship oil, but it feels like blood." Damien could feel the cold black liquid through his "skin-feel" mesh gloves, which allows him to feel objects as if he was touching them with his bare hands. He didn't quite know what to think of it. Maybe he was just seeing things and it was really just an oil leak; he shrugged his shoulders and continued on his way. Now that he was off duty, Damien made his way up to Deck 33, where Alice was stationed. The upper decks were either a much nicer shiny grey or alabaster white compared to the lower decks, which were a dark worn grey and were sparsely populated. Damien often had crew members gawking at him on the upper decks due to his tall stature and lower-rank green armor. It was mainly the more elite silver and dark blue security that patrolled the upper decks. He preferred the middle decks, where his quarters were, which weren't as squeaky clean as the top decks but not as old and decrepit as the lower ones. Damien finally reached Alice's quarters which were nicely tucked away giving a feeling of more privacy. Alice was already done getting prepared for their scheduled date. She was wearing a light blue, slim gown with silver open-toe heels. Her neck-length blond hair was tied into a ponytail with some of it spiking out the back. Damien thought, "God, she is beautiful! How lucky am I to have such a gorgeous woman." Alice was starting to wonder what was taking Damien so long to reach her cabin. It was unusual for him to be this late. Marines are known for always being on time. She decided to open the door to take a look and as she did, there he was, just as he was about to knock on the automatic door. "Jesus! There you are. Tall dark and scary. where were you and why are you still wearing your armor?" she asked, slightly annoyed and still startled from him appearing so suddenly.

"I'm sorry for scaring you like that! Your door seems to be malfunctioning,"  He said ashamedly. "That's okay babe. It's not your fault. I've noticed stuff like lab equipment not working properly and doors have been acting up all week now, and I have no idea why." Alice stood there leaning on her desk looking at Damien with a raised eyebrow. "Huh? Oh yeah sorry, I'm just more comfortable in my armor when I'm out,"  He said sheepishly. Alice could tell something was wrong with Damien, even if all she could see was the shiny visor of his helmet hiding his face. She walked up to him and placed her delicate hands on the sides of his helmet and lifted it off of his head. Damien was in his mid-20s, a mixed-race man of European and Japanese descent. His short, dark hair was styled in a military buzz cut, his dark eyes were serious. On Earth, Damien spent most of his time outdoors and his skin was usually tan. But lately, his complexion had become quite pale. Damien, please, just tell me what's wrong," Alice said, her face full of concern. "I thought I saw someone or something down on Deck 13. Whatever it was, looked like a black mist or fog, so I thought they were an intruder. The thing was when I turned the corner...there was no one there, except for this black liquid, I know it sounds silly, but something about it just unsettled me," Alice interrupted Damien with a heartfelt kiss. "It's ok, it's dark and spooky as hell down there; your mind was probably just playing tricks on you."-"Yeah you're probably right,"  Damien replied assuredly.